ABSTRACT
Lasers produce an intense beam of light that is monochromatic, coherent and collimated. Laser technology allows high-energy intensities to be produced from relatively low-power sources. This chapter describes the basic physics underpinning laser technology, and presents the fundamental components within a laser device. It discusses the different types of lasers with their clinical applications. Lasers are hazardous to use because they combine high-energy intensities confined within a small spot size and transmitted in a non-divergent beam. Anaesthetic considerations for upper airway laser surgery include double-cuffed, laser-resistant endotracheal tube, cuffs filled with saline, and throat packed with wet swabs. The quantum theory states that electrons are confined to certain energy states but these electrons can move between these energy states depending on whether they absorb or emit energy. Organic dye used as a lasing medium in liquid-state lasers.
